We demonstrate with experiments and simulations how microscopic self-propelled particles navigate through environments presenting complex spatial features, which mimic the conditions inside cells, living organisms and future lab-on-a-chip devices. In particular, we show that, in the presence of periodic obstacles, microswimmers can steer even perpendicularly to an applied force. Since such behaviour is very sensitive to the details of their specific swimming style, it can be employed to develop advanced sorting, classification and dialysis techniques.

The dinuclear radical anion complexes [(mu-L)[Re(CO)(3)Cl](2)](*)(-), L = 2,2'-azobispyridine (abpy) and 2,2'-azobis(5-chloropyrimidine) (abcp), were investigated by EPR at 9.5, 94, 230, and 285 GHz (abpy complex) and at 9.5 and 285 GHz (abcp complex). Whereas the X-band measurements yielded only the isotropic metal hyperfine coupling of the (185,187)Re isotopes, the high-frequency EPR experiments in glassy frozen CH(2)Cl(2)/toluene solution revealed the g components. Both the a((185,187)Re) value and the g anisotropy, g(1) - g(3), are larger for the abcp complex, which contains the better pi-accepting bridging ligand. Confirmation for this comes also from IR and UV/vis spectroscopy of the new [(mu-abcp)[Re(CO)(3)Cl](2)](o/)(*)(-)(/2)(-) redox system. The g values are reproduced reasonably well by density functional calculations which confirm higher metal participation at the singly occupied MO and therefore larger contributions from the metal atoms to the g anisotropy in abcp systems compared to abpy complexes. Additional calculations for a series of systems [(mu-abcp)[M(CO)(3)X](2)](*)(-) (M = Tc or Re and X = Cl, and X = F, Cl, or Br with M = Re) provided further insight into the relationship between spin density distribution and g anisotropy.

The complexes [(mu-bmtz(*-))[Cu(PPh(3))(2)](2)](BF(4)) (1) and [(mu-H(2)bmtz)[Cu(PPh(3))(2)](2)](BF(4))(2) (2) (bmtz = 3,6-bis(2'-pyrimidyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine and H(2)bmtz = 1,4-dihydro-3,6-bis(2'-pyrimidyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine) were obtained as stable materials that could be crystallized for structure determination. 1.2 CH(2)Cl(2): C(84)H(70)BCl(4)Cu(2)F(4)N(8)P(4); monoclinic, C2/c; a = 26.215(7) A, b = 22.122(6) A, c = 18.114(5) A, beta = 133.51(1) degrees; Z = 4. 2.CH(2)Cl(2): C(83)H(70)B(2)Cl(2)Cu(2)F(8)N(8)P(4); triclinic, P1; a = 10.948(2) A, b = 12.067(2) A, c = 30.287(6) A, alpha = 93.82(3) degrees, beta = 94.46(3) degrees, gamma = 101.60(3) degrees; Z = 2. Bmtz itself was also structurally characterized (C(10)H(6)N(8); monoclinic, P2(1)/c; a = 3.8234(8) A, b = 10.147(2) A, c = 13.195(3) A, beta = 94.92(3) degrees; Z = 2). Whereas the radical complex ion contains a planar tetrazine ring in the center, the 1,4-dihydrotetrazine heterocycle in the corresponding complex of H(2)bmtz is considerably folded. Both systems exhibit slight twists between the tetrazine and the pyrimidine rings. The intra-tetrazine distances are characteristically affected by the electron transfer, as is also evident from a comparison with the new structure of free bmtz; the bonding to copper(I) changes accordingly. Spectroscopy including X- and W-band EPR of the radical species confirms that the electron addition is mainly to the tetrazine ring.

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